Strikes were never meant to be pretty. Still, undergraduates must bear with the ongoing Teaching Assistants Association strike and realize that it is worth our momentary discomfort to ensure that talented teaching assistants remain a respected part of the University of Wisconsin undergraduate experience.
Yesterday's strike led some students to complain about the TAA's intimidation tactics which kept them from attending classes. While it is important for the TAA to understand that overt intimidation does more to alienate its support base of undergraduates, it is equally important for students to realize that this strike, and the subsequent disruption it causes, is necessary for the TAA's negotiation process.
Notwithstanding a few isolated incidents of personal intimidation, the TAA succeeded impressively in carrying out a massive, organized operation that took months to plan. And they did what they set out to do: Disrupt the university from conducting business as usual.
For example, students, thwarted by hordes of vocal TAs, made conscious decisions not to attend class to show support, and picketed buildings became shells of their normal bursting selves.
Support for the TAA came from many sources-22 academic departments drafted resolutions supporting the strike. The city itself seemed to stand behind the TAA, as indicated by the pro-strike honking which emanated constantly from University Avenue traffic Wednesday.
Students certainly have a right to be concerned if TAs' verbal or physical intimidation is out of line. The TAs' own strike instruction booklet says that \intimidating or threatening people who are attempting to enter a university building"" is ""forbidden picket line behavior."" As the strike continues, TAs should remember that such actions are contrary to the strikes original purpose.
That purpose is a noble one: What the state called its ""best offer"" is a slap in the face to those that make our university run. Not only does the proposal include a zero-percent pay increase until 2006, it also forces TAs to pay monthly premiums for health care insurance, the TAA's major point of contention.
The TAs' major counter-proposal would cost $300,000 less than the state's offer, according to the TAA. That offer would include a 2.4-percent-immediate pay raise for TAs and a 3.4 percent raise for project assistants and would continue the current no-cost health care premium.
As the strike continues, it is not the canceled classes that should concern undergraduates-it is the fact that the state still refuses to fairly compensate our unappreciated TA community, the undeniable backbone of this university.
